How to Make the Best Fruit Infused Water

How to Make the Best Fruit Infused Water

How Long Do I Have To Infuse My Water Before Drinking It?

After cutting up the ingredients you’d like to use, and placing it in your container, it’s best to allow the fruit to infuse your water for anywhere between 1 – 2 hours before you drink it. However, if you refrigerate your infused water, you’ll want to increase the infusing time, which would mean anywhere from 3 – 4 hours. After that, feel free to drink up.

One of the great things about fruit infused water is the fact that it’s not a science. Simply put; there’s no rules that you have to follow. Therefore, you can feel free to experiment with both infusing time, as well as ingredients.

How Long Will Fruit Infused Water Last?

It’s always best to drink your fruit infused water the same day that you make it. If you refrigerate the water, it should be good for up to 3-days. If you forget to put it in the fridge, or don’t want it chilled, you should drink the water before you go to sleep. Fruit infused water is always best when it’s fresh, so don’t store it for too long.

How Often Can I Reuse Fruit?

A lot of people throw their fruit away after a single use, which is actually quite wasteful. Fruit can be reused, but you have to remember that with every reuse, you’re going to lose some flavor. Also, instead of drinking your entire batch on infused water, and reusing the fruit again, you should actually refill when you’ve hit the halfway mark. This way, the new water will be able to snag some flavor from the old water.

Why Is My Water So Bitter?

Don’t worry, you’re not going to die, or even get sick. This is a common problem that a lot of people have. Fruit infused water that’s bitter is caused by leaving the rind intact on the fruit, so you should remove the rind when infusing water. However, if you do decide to leave the rind intact, you shouldn’t infuse your water for more than four hours, or else it’s going to be bitter.

Can Fruit Infused Water Spoil?

When you start infusing your own water, you’ll learn quite quickly that your refrigerate is your best ally when it comes to trying to keep your water nice and fresh. That being said, you should never let your water sit out of the refrigerator for lengthy periods of time. If you have a feeling that your water may be spoiled, the best thing you can do is to use your senses. Does it looks funky? Does it smell weird? If so, you may want to go ahead and dump it out. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Hot or Cold Water? Which Is Better?

When it comes to infusing water, you’ll definitely want to stick with cold water, or at least water that’s no warmer than room temperature. Granted, you can infuse you water quicker with warmer water, but it is going to come at the expense of your ingredients. Warm water will take away some of the health benefits from your ingredients, and can turn them mushy. The end result of using warm water is quite unsightly.

How Do I Infuse My Water Faster?

Okay, so you’re short on time and want to infuse your water faster. We’ve all been there, so don’t fret! Rather than using cold water, you can use room temperature water to infuse your fruit. Basically, this will cause the ingredients, such as fruit, to decompose at a faster rate. However, you have to be careful when you do this. If you’re not going to drink the water within 4 hours, you should put it in the refrigerator. Leaving infused water out could potentially cause bacteria and mold to form. It’s safe to say that you don’t want to consume either.

Can I Use Distilled Water?

You can use distilled water if you like, but it’s not a requirement by any means.

Can I Use Bottled Water?

Once again, you can use bottled water if you want to, but it’s not required.

Can I Infuse Water With Dry Fruit?

It’s best to avoid dried fruits, as the end results aren’t worth it.

Can I Infuse Water With Frozen Fruit?

Yes, you can. However, frozen fruit doesn’t pack the same punch as fresh fruit when it comes to flavor. Plus, frozen fruit decomposes in water quite easily, which can be unsightly.

Does Organic Food Make A Difference?

Absolutely! Organic food should always be used when infusing water when possible. If you can’t use organic ingredients, you should always remove the rind from the fruit. The rind can contain harmful pesticides and other unwanted ingredients. When removing the rind isn’t a possibility, you should make sure to clean your fruit thoroughly.

What Container Should I Use?

When experimenting with recipes, you’ll likely want to use something like a pitcher to house your fruit infused water. That way, you can make excess quantities, and you will also have plenty of water to serve your friends and family members. When not making fruit infused water in large batches, you could use something like a mason jar or canning jars, as those are excellent options. Alternatively, fruit infused water bottles are great options, as well.

Can I Eat My Ingredients After I’ve Infused My Water?

Absolutely. Keep in mind, however, that ingredients that have been used to infuse water prior to consumption won’t be as flavorful. Plus, fruit won’t be as vibrant in color as it once was.

Help! I Can’t Get Kiwi Infused Water?!

It may be heartbreaking, since Kiwi is such a popular fruit, but Kiwi just simply isn’t a good ingredient to infuse water with. If you’re a truly dedicated person and you really want Kiwi infused water, you’ll have to infuse the water for at least 36 hours before achieving minor results. A lot of people simply do not have this kind of patience, and deem it unworthy of their time.

Go Easy On The Herbs

It goes without saying that herbs are an excellent ingredient to infuse your water with, but you have to proceed with caution when using herbs. It’s very easy to use too much of an herb. and then you’ve ruined an entire batch of water. Also, you have to remember that herbs and certain ingredients don’t compliment each other to say the least. Therefore, be careful with your combinations.

Go Easy On The Sweet Stuff

Fruits like pineapples, strawberries, and oranges are sweet, juicy, and just downright yummy! That’s why a lot of people out there simply go overboard with these ingredients when they infuse their water. Unfortunately, you can easily over sweeten your water. If you run into this problem, simply add more water or ice to your batch.

*BONUS* Beginner-Friendly Fruit Infused Water Recipes

So, you’re new to infusing your water, and you need someone to just point you in the right direction with some great recipes. Well, we’ve all been there, and we know the struggle. That being said, we’re going to get your back! Below, you’ll find some easy recipes, so you can start infusing water today.

Basic Tips:

• Always use fresh fruit.
• Avoid using fruit that has bruises, or cut the bruises out.
• Avoid using herbs that aren’t fresh.
• Avoid leaving fruit and infused water out of the refrigerator.
• It’s best to use cool water.
• The thinner you slice the fruit, the quicker it will infuse your water.

1. Strawberry Splash

This is a great infusing recipe that will detox you. Simply combine the following ingredients to your water:

• Sliced Lemon
• Sliced Strawberry
• Basil
• Ice

2. Blue Oranges

This may sound like a weird concoction, but you’re going to fall in love immediately with this recipe.

• Sliced Mandarin Oranges
• Blueberries
• Ice

3. Watermint

When you think of summertime fun, you can’t help but think about watermelon! Here’s a barebones recipe that incorporates this popular summertime fruit.

• Watermelon
• Mint Leaves

4. Orangish

When you feel like getting a little fancy with your fruit infused water and want a little more ingredients, this is a perfect drink to make.

• Sliced Oranges
• Sliced Lemon
• Sliced Cucumber
• Mint Leaves

5. Smell the Roses

You can never have too much detox water, and the following recipe is another great one. Plus, it incorporates grapefruit, which is known to aid in weight loss.

• Grapefruit
• Rosemary

Tip: Use plenty of rosemary on this one, as the taste of grapefruit can be a bit overpowering in comparison, and you may not taste the rosemary.